Topiris meyricki Sterling & Price & Lees 2025, sp. nov.

Topiris meyricki Sterling & Lees sp. nov. Figs 17, 43 A, B, 68 DNA barcode. N / A. Type material. Thailand: Holotype • ♂, Siam, W. R. S. Ladell leg., fwl 7.5 mm, specimen no. NHMUK 010219685, slide no. NHMUK 010316359. Diagnosis. Indistinguishable externally from other white species of Topiris. In the male genitalia, the valva is strongly projecting apically with a smaller, sclerotised, thorn like subapical projection below the apical projection. The saccular process is broad and claviform with a large patch of short bristles medially and a small sclerotised tooth like posterio-medial projection. Description. Male (Fig. 17). Forewing length 7.5 mm, wingspan 16 mm. Head: frons with appressed white scales, some cream scales at sides; vertex with tufts of long white scales laterally pointing upwards and away from base of antennae, further long white scales laterally pointing inwards, overlaying the remains of a collar of broader white scales on anterior margin of prothorax pointing posteriorly; pilifers small with small tufts of bristles; maxillary palps whitish. Labial palps, long (> 2.5 × diameter of eye), strongly recurved; basal segment white, second segment strongly curved, longer than third segment, thinly covered in appressed white and ochreous scales; third segment thin and pointed, almost straight, thinly covered in white appressed scales. Haustellum with white scaling at base. Antenna ¾ length of forewing, bipectinate; scape white, flagellum with moderate black pectinations, white scaling on basal part (apical part of both antennae missing). Thorax: cream coloured, tegulae fairly short, white. Foreleg with femur and tibia pale buff, tarsus damaged, mid legs missing, hindleg with remains of tuft of long white scales. Forewing broad, costa slightly rounded at base, thereafter almost straight, apex obtusely rounded, termen angled slightly inwards, tornus obtusely rounded, dullish white, unmarked apart from traces of brown scaling at edge of base of costa to ~ 1 / 5. Hindwing as broad as forewing, very slightly pointed at apex, otherwise rounded, white, unmarked. On ventral surface forewings with pale brown scaling between costa and Sc and along veins, hindwings white. Female. Unknown. Pre-genital abdomen. Cream coloured, white anal tuft. Tergal spines on posterior parts of T 2 – T 7, part of T 8 and sternites weakly sclerotised. Apodemes almost straight. Male genitalia (Figs 43 A, B, 68). Uncus broad, anterior margin of dorsal surface weakly emarginate, broadening subapically, apically spatulate, dorsal surface with large medial carina and bow shaped plate basally. Gnathos fused medially, lateral arms thin and lightly sclerotised, medial plate small and lightly sclerotised, very slightly projecting posteriorly from lateral arms. Tegumen band broad and strongly curved, lateral extensions of tegumen substantially longer than width of tegumen band. Vinculum long, robust, well sclerotised, U shaped, base substantially projecting anteriorly beyond base of valvae. Saccus large. Juxta with basal plate V-shaped, anellus lobes broad and moderately short. Valva broad and long, costal margin with substantial medial projection at base, also strongly projecting apically with a smaller, sclerotised, thorn like subapical projection below the apical projection, saccular margin of valva curved at base, otherwise straight, thin ventral sclerite postmedially. Sacculus large, longer than broad, a few sparse setae. Saccular process developing from distal part of sacculus, commencing near costa of valva, broad, claviform, small sclerotised posterio-medial tooth, thick brush of short bristles medially. Aedeagus long with long, recurved, filament-like distal projection and a prominent distal thickening with pointed tip (Fig. 68). Biology and early stages. Unknown. Distribution. Thailand. Etymology. meyricki — named in honour of the microlepidopterist and systematist Edward Meyrick (1854– 1938), who described the majority of the known species of white Oriental xyloryctids. The epithet is a noun in the genitive case. Remarks. The labels for the specimen contain limited collection data. However, its collector, Major William Richard Simpson Ladell, was the Chief of the Division of Chemistry and Entomology at the Siamese Department of Agricultural Research during the 1930 s and it can be assumed, as its identity was determined by Meyrick, that it was collected in the 1920 s or 1930 s. The specimen was determined by Meyrick as Topiris candidella Walker, but its genitalia (not examined by Meyrick) are very different from that species (Figs 32, 33, 43).